Establishing and Maintaining a
Worksite Wellness Team
Jessie L. Sandoval
Wellness Consultant
WELCOA’s 7 Benchmarks of Success
Wellness Council of America (WELCOA)
• Capture senior level support
• Create a cohesive wellness team
• Collect data
• Craft and operating plan
• Choose appropriate interventions
• Create a supportive environment
• Carefully evaluate outcomes
Reference: Wellness Councils of American (WELCOA), Absolute Advantage 2006 Volume 6, Number 1
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
“A comprehensive approach to worksite health results is a planned
and organized set of programs, policies, benefits, and environmental
supports designed to meet the health and safety needs of all
employees. A comprehensive approach looks to put interventions in
place that address multiple risk factors and health conditions
concurrently and recognizes that the interventions and strategies
chosen influence multiple levels of the organization including the
individual employee and the organization as a whole.”
Reference: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov
One piece of the puzzle…
Creating a wellness team is just ONE piece
of the puzzle. It is often integrated into the
overall design and implementation of a
worksite wellness program.
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Establishing a wellness team
• Does leadership support exist?
(middle management = key players)
• Who will manage/lead the team?
• Are there employees interested in the opportunity?
• Is there a structure in place to support the team?
• What is the mission/purpose of the team?
• How will multiple sites or locations be managed?
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Wellness Champions
– Most successful worksite wellness programs are supported
by a group of enthusiastic employees that form at the
grassroots level.
– Often called "Wellness Champions" - they are the drivers for
building a culture of wellness and encouraging participation
in a company’s wellness program.
– They help direct the organization in selecting wellness
programs and offerings, measuring the success of the
programs and creating environments where wellness
flourishes.
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Quick Poll
Do you currently have a wellness team
established?
Quick Poll
Are you interested in starting a wellness
program?
“A wellness team is comprised of wellness champions,
employees committed to promoting health and wellness in the
workplace.”
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Wellness Champion traits
• Have a passion for wellness
• Are committed to personal health
• Exhibit good organizational skills
• Dedicated to building and maintaining relationships
• Support the overall company mission
• Maintain a holistic outlook
• Know how to have fun!
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Holly Firestine, Manager for Wellness and Worklife at Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta shares this perspective regarding effective
Wellness Champions.
“A business approach to wellness, where there is a true strategic approach to
programming and measurement that aligns with corporate strategy, is critical to the
success of anyone seeking to lead Wellness in the workplace. The Wellness Leader
must have the ability to sustain the culture through stakeholder engagement
throughout all leadership and staff levels in order to establish credibility and
authenticity with all employees.”
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Quick Poll
How many Wellness Champions are on your
wellness team?
Why are Wellness Champions important?
• Provide a trusted resource for employees
• Help improve teamwork and employee moral
• Increase awareness of wellness opportunities
• Help employees see worksite wellness as a company
priority.
• Share a broad range of talents and views
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Wellness team defined
A wellness team is a group of employees
who formally meet and plan activities to
promote good health for themselves and for
their fellow workers. This team…
•
Represents employees from all
organizational levels.
•
Communicates to employees information
about known health risks and the value of
a worksite wellness committee and
wellness initiatives.
•
Creates and maintains open lines of
communication between wellness
committees and employees.
•
Promotes participation in both individual
and group activities.
•
Advocates for worksite policies and
environments that support improved
health.
•
Coordinates the monitoring and
evaluation of the wellness
activities/programs offered to employees.
•
Serves as the leader/champion for
wellness activities at their worksite.
Reference: http://edb.sonoma-county.org/
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Example – Invitation Letter to Employee
Where/how to recruit Wellness Champions?
• Ask mid-level managers for recommendations
• Post information about being a Wellness Champion
• Review any past interest survey information
• Look at other internal committee/teams for
collaboration (motivation/moral committee ex.)
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Maintaining a wellness team
1.
Write worksite wellness into job descriptions
2.
Promote the team throughout the organization
3.
Develop a team with good leadership
4.
Add diversity to the team
5.
Meet regularly face to face 1-2x/month
6.
Assign someone to take and distribute meeting notes
7.
Provide continual communication
8.
Make continuing education options available and accessible
Reference: adapted from WELCOA “Tips for
Maintaining a Worksite Wellness Team”
Additional Tips…
• Develop online "kit" to house made ready made
resources for wellness champions
• Establish an annual awards program to recognize the
wellness champions' contributions and involve the
leadership team in the celebration
• Include input/feedback from wellness champions into
wellness program
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
“Wellness Champions play a vital role in the success of
wellness programs and when you educate, empower
and reward them, you'll find they can be valuable
resource.”
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Case study – current NRP client
1. Choose someone to head the program (aka Wellness Coordinator) and
then form a well-rounded team. In other words, get employees from
different areas of the company so that all employees are represented.
2. Have employees complete a survey to see what they would like to get
from a wellness program. You can think you KNOW what employees want,
but you may be surprised! And you want to make the program what the
employees actually want or you won’t get participation.
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Case study continued
3. Don’t try to do too much right away. Baby steps!
4. Get upper-management/CEO support.
5. Develop a plan. It’s easy to get “off track” if the committee
doesn’t have a plan. (We had a plan for the first 6 months of our
program and then we planned all of 2015 in January so that we had
a clear vision of what we would do this year)
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Case study continued
Additional recommendations:
• Include updates, news and general health and wellness
announcements in a company newsletter (paper version
added to paystubs or sent out via email).
• Put up wellness bulletin boards and rotate
articles/information so it is always timely and fresh.
Michelle L. Tureskis, Human Resources Benefits Coordinator
Valley Memorial Homes
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Sample First Meeting Agenda
Recommendations:
Keep the first meeting short and sweet
Make time for introductions
Provide clarity around roles/expectations
Each person leaves with an actionable item
Ask for feedback
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Sample Policy & Environment Survey
This is a tool/resource for the wellness team. Include it in the
first meeting or have the team members fill out before hand.
Have a plan in place for how to use the information to
support future initiatives or programs.
Be clear with what areas of feedback can and cannot be
acted upon based on organizational policies and procedures.
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
FREE resources you can use
•
Creating cohesive wellness teams special report from WELCOA
•
Sample wellness team work plan (long form)
•
Sample wellness team work plan (short form)
•
Sample wellness job descriptions
•
Sample wellness team workbook
•
WELCOA Well Workplace University
•
National Healthy Worksite Program (NHWP), Created in Oct. 2011 by the CDC http://www.cdc.gov/nationalhealthyworksite/
•
American Heart Association, Workplace Wellness Resources – www.heart.org
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Minnesota Workplace resources/organizations
•
Minnesota Department of Health
•
Statewide Health Improvement program (SHIP) grant information/stories
•
Contact your local SHIP
programhttp://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/oshii/ship/communities
•
Statewide Health Improvement Programhttp://www.health.state.mn.us/ship
•
Center for Prevention, Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Minnesotahttp://preventionminnesota.com/
•
Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota http://healthiermn.com/
•
The Presidents’ Network http://presidents-network.com/
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Questions & Answers
Worksite Wellness – Service available to all North Risk Partners clients
Employees are a company’s most important asset.
Let us help protect yours with complimentary worksite wellness services!
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Monthly WorkLife Wellness Newsletter
Assistance with leveraging carrier options
Employee interest surveys
Training
Special events (e.g. an NRP-sponsored health fair)
Ongoing support from NRP’s certified worksite wellness consultant
Monthly WorkLife Wellness Newsletter- Designed to be easily shared by email or printed pdf, this employee-facing newsletter
includes best practices for wellness at work and in life.
Leveraging carrier options- Our worksite wellness expert will help you identify and leverage valuable wellness resources
already built into your insurance plan.
Employee interest surveys- We provide surveys to help you define the needs and interests of your employees, which in turn
help you develop a more effective worksite wellness plan for your organization’s unique culture
Training- Attend expert-led trainings online or in person on a variety of different worksite wellness topics.
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Ongoing support
As is true with all of our services, the value of our worksite wellness services is rooted in our
capacity to provide you with customized ongoing support from an industry expert. North Risk
Partners’ worksite wellness consultant, Jessie Sandoval, is available to talk you through all
phases of the worksite wellness planning and implementation process.
About Jessie
 Certified Worksite Wellness Specialist (CWWS) and Program Manager (CWWPM) through
the National Wellness Institute
 Certified Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition
 Registered yoga instructor with over 12 years of teaching experience (corporate, gym,
studio and specialty classes)
Contact Information
Jessie L. Sandoval
jessie@jswellnessllc.org
320.291.6285
@jswellnessllc @NorthRisk
Presentation Materials
• Sample Policy and Environment Survey:
http://info.northriskpartners.com/hubfs/Sample_Policy_and
_Environment_Survey..pdf
• Sample Meeting Agenda:
http://info.northriskpartners.com/hubfs/Sample_meeting_a
genda.pdf
• Sample let of invitation to serve on a Wellness Team:
http://info.northriskpartners.com/hubfs/Sample_letter_of_i
nvitation_to_serve_on_Wellness_Team.pdf